Journalists and academics bear the brunt of the massive crackdown on freedom of expression in Turkey. Scores of them are currently subject to criminal investigations or behind bars. This website is dedicated to tracking the legal process against them.

Information on this website is compiled by Punto24 (Platform for Independent Journalism) from open sources.

Journalists in State of Emergency– 88

Kemal Özer, a reporter with the leftist Evrensel newspaper, was taken into police custody on September 4 as part of an investigation being conducted by the Tunceli Chief Prosecutor’s Office.

Police attempted to detain Özer earlier in the day, reports said. However, he couldn’t be located during a raid on his home in the early morning. Özer was detained later in the evening at a roadblock along the Tunceli-Ovacık road.

Özer, who reports from the eastern province of Tunceli, also known by its Kurdish name Dersim, had received threats from locals over his reporting on illegal hunting in the region, Evrensel reported.

Officials said on September 5 that Özer was detained as part of an ongoing terror probe on the suspicion of “membership in a terrorist organization.” The detention period for Özer was extended to seven days; which means he can be kept under detention without appearing before a prosecutor for up to seven days.

TMSF puts assets from seized media organizations on sale

Articles, equipment and other assets that belonged to several media organizations that were shut down under Cabinet decrees issued as part of Turkey’s State of Emergency rules were put on sale by the Savings Deposit Insurance Fund (TMSF).

The TMSF announced tenders for the sale of assets of several media organizations on its website. There will be tenders on September 25, September 29 and October 6 for the sale of assets which were seized from IMC TV, TV 10, Jiyan TV, Azadi TV, Taraf Ankara branch, Bugün, Feza Gazetecilik Ankara office, Samanyolu TV Ankara office, Radyo Nur, Bugün TV, Meydan, Yarına Bakış, Yeni Hayat, Kocaeli Manşet, Demokrat Gebze and Dost Ajans.

Support for cases of Turkish journalists at ECtHR

David Kaye, the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of freedom of expression, and a group of 12 international rights organizations including PEN International, Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Human Rights Watch have applied to the European Court of Human Rights, seeking a leave to intervene in the cases of imprisoned Turkish journalists.

On September 3, a leave to intervene was granted to Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Nils Muiznieks in the cases of Cumhuriyet Editor-in-Chief Murat Sabuncu, the daily’s executive president Akın Atalay, editorial consultant Kadri Gürsel, along with the cases of journalists Ahmet Şık, Murat Aksoy, Mehmet Altan, Ahmet Altan, Nazlı Ilıcak, Şahin Alpay, Deniz Yücel and singer Atilla Taş.

UN Special Rapporteur Kaye seeks leave to intervene in the cases of Ahmet Altan, Mehmet Altan, Atilla Taş, Ahmet Şık, Şahin Alpay, Murat Sabuncu and other Cumhuriyet journalists based on second paragraph two Article 36 of ECHR he third paragraph ECtHR Rule 44. He first applied to the court on Aug. 30.

Click here to view the list in a spreadsheet file; where figures on shuttered media and civil society associations are also available on separate tabs.